Hurricanes??

[AuntieDis]

I am seriously considering renting points in early September. Does Disney have a policy allowing DVC owers to cancel or reschedule without penalty if there are Hurricane Warnings/Problems. I was scheduled to go to a Disney Resort a few years back when there were hurricane issues & was allowed to cancel at the last minute. Has anyone had experience with this? I do know I can get trip insurance but was wondering about Disney's policy. Thanks!!

 

[JimMIA]

I am seriously considering renting points in early September. Does Disney have a policy allowing DVC owers to cancel or reschedule without penalty if there are Hurricane Warnings/Problems.

First of all, get the concept of DISNEY out of your mind. If you rent points, your transaction is 100% between you and the owner you rent from. Disney is not involved, and they will not help you. Your question should be addressed to whoever you rent from.

I was scheduled to go to a Disney Resort a few years back when there were hurricane issues & was allowed to cancel at the last minute. Has anyone had experience with this?

The policies for cancellations/reschedulings are the biggest issue with renting a DVC reservation. If you are concerned about this question, you might not be a great candidate for a DVC rental. Often when cancellations occur, the DVC owner really can't do anything to help you, and your money is just lost unless you have trip insurance. Trip insurance is your backup -- not depending on a cancellation policy.

 

[Chuck S]

I am seriously considering renting points in early September. Does Disney have a policy allowing DVC owers to cancel or reschedule without penalty if there are Hurricane Warnings/Problems. I was scheduled to go to a Disney Resort a few years back when there were hurricane issues & was allowed to cancel at the last minute. Has anyone had experience with this? I do know I can get trip insurance but was wondering about Disney's policy. Thanks!!

It doesn't really matter what Disney's policy is if you are renting points. Even if Disney offers to refund the points to the owner, your transaction with the owner is a private one. Any refund/cancellation/rescheduling policies offered to you by the owner should be in writing as part of a contract governing your rental.

In the past DVC has worked with owners, just like cash guests, in case of hurricanes, whether they will continue to do so, we can assume yes, but there is no guarantee, but again, it really has no bearing on your refund rights with the DVC owner.

 

[AuntieDis]

I have read all the information that everyone has so kindly posted & do understand that you can't (& should not even consider) trying to cancel or reschedule. It would not be fair to the owner! When I have a Disney trip planned it would take a disaster to keep me away! That is what trip insurance is for. I just did not know if Disney had an official policy for the DVC owners. Even if there is one, I realize it can be changed at any time & that the policy is between Disney & the owners. Thanks for answering my question so quickly.

 

[JimMIA]

I just did not know if Disney had an official policy for the DVC owners. Even if there is one, I realize it can be changed at any time & that the policy is between Disney & the owners.

It's more complicated than that.

First of all, a hurricane cancellation obviously would occur within a few days of your scheduled arrival...maybe even the day of arrival. Even if DVC gave the owner their points back, the points would probably be in "holding account" and could only be used for ressies 60 days out. 60 days out severely limits availability -- and look at the period you're heading into if you cancel in September! Thanksgiving through New Years is already probably 99% booked NOW. You're not going to get anything in that period 60 days out. The Epcot resorts are also probably completely booked for Food and Wine, so you're not going to get anything there during October either.

Another issue is banking deadlines. Even if DVC puts the points back in the owner's account, they may be past the banking deadline and the owner may not be able to use the points at all. If you're in an availability crunch, and the points expire, it would be pretty hard for the owner to refund your money.

These are just two of the complicating factors that caused me to say the owner might be powerless to help you, even if they wanted to.

For hurricane season, I think you have to take one of two approaches.

Either book through Disney directly.

OR...recognize that hurricanes often threaten but rarely hit, and when they do hit, they are usually one- or two-day events. Even when Orlando gets hit head-on by a hurricane, it's nothing like what the coastal areas face, so the damage is relatively light. Usually at WDW, it's a matter of hunkering down in your room for a day and then going on with the rest of your vacation afterward.